1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is transaction authentication and security for online, internet, and other communicated transactions, more particularly, the invention relates to fingerprint authentication of a user or customer at transaction time using a mobile customer authentication apparatus (which is also referred to as an Internet Transaction Authentication (ITA)). The ITA cryptographically assures the identity of a website to a customer and biometrically assures the identity of customer to a website. An ITA is typically connected into any standard (e.g., USB) interface when web access is desired. The ITA is enabled only after the user (customer) authenticates themselves to the ITA.
2. Related Art
While there are numerous and diverse products implementing fingerprint sensor devices, the undersigned has not located any equivalent art which consolidates and integrates all aspects of the authentication in one portable equal to the present invention. Notwithstanding, it must be noted that other transaction authentication mechanisms and protocols are well known in the industry, e.g., EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa) or SET (secure electronic transactions) protocol, are utilitarian and functional, their functions are distributed or shared for some authentication applications, however, these are carried out within the user's computer or in within the merchant's computer, teller machine, or other vendor authentication resource. Token devices such as smartcards are only used to perform the cryptographic operations or retain the user's identity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,328 to Harris, et al discloses a method for verifying the identity of a customer using a central switch to request the ID of a user by means of standard formats such as EMV or SET. However, unlike the present invention, the patent does not disclose an integrated hardware apparatus that incorporates all user authentication functions as well as provide local transaction functions within a mobile, portable device, nor does the patent mention biometrically authenticating users, nor does it disclose providing service for “contact” and “contactless” applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,111 to Kashef, et al discloses a terminal for accepting a smartcard. The present invention, by contrast, does not use smartcards or smartcard reading terminals at all. Additionally, the patent does not discuss biometric authentication of customers, nor does it describe a means for integrating all the necessary authentication functions into an integrated customer authentication apparatus.
By contrast, in the present invention, all of the following are performed within the ITA device itself: biometric authentication of a user and display of authentication results; cryptographic verification of external system(s); cryptographic encapsulation of the authentication data sent to the external system(s); and positive identification of the ITA itself.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,939 to Tobin a means for carrying out transactions on a memory device is disclosed, such as a smartcard. However, biometric authentication on the device is not claimed. Further, the Tobin device neither indicates to the customer that biometric authentication is successful, nor does the device indicate that the accessed website is valid and recognized.
Necessity of the Invention:
It is well-known that even as security technologies evolve forward, simultaneously, security challenges are substantially increasing. This is particularly so regarding financial transactions (e.g., online transactions and purchases; other monetary transactions such as ticket purchases at kiosks; PC-centric transactions such as money-related email communications; etc.).
Two very damaging types of internet fraud have befallen customers of websites owned by banks, online stores, and investment companies: In the first case, “cloned”(fraudulent but appearing legitimate) websites are created by technologically sophisticated criminals and held out as genuine websites. Unsuspecting customers are directed to criminals' websites by spam or weblink misdirection; customers naively enter sensitive personal data into password login fields and/or order entry screens with credit card payment fields. The internet criminals then harvest the ill-gotten data and use it in many destructive ways. In the second case, an imposter uses customer PINs or passwords stolen as described above, or by a Trojan Horse program (e.g., B02K or Sub7), or by “data-interception-by-remote-transmission” technique or by communication “sniffing”, or by hacking into account password databases, etc. Regardless how the stolen data is obtained, the perpetrator executes illegitimate transactions to sell stock, empty a bank account, or make unauthorized purchases.
Accordingly, any personal apparatus for improving security and safety of online transactions by biometrically assuring customer identity and by cryptographically authenticating legitimate websites should be welcome in the art.
Objects of the Invention:
It is one primary object of the present invention, to provide a personal, mobile, portable Internet Transaction Authentication (ITA) peripheral apparatus capable of improving security of online transactions. It is a related primary object, to provide a secure identification device which uses fingerprint biometrics to authenticate an authorized customer, and which uses strong cryptography to reduce the risk of fraud. It is another object to provide an ITA which provides visual and/or audible cues to the customer that indicates (1) successful biometric authentication of a customer and (2) cryptographic authentication of the authenticity of a remote website, thereby improving and contributing to online transactions security. It is yet another related object, to provide an ITA apparatus for transmitting a cryptographically encapsulated data message that irrefutably identifies an enrolled customer, while identifying the apparatus and biometrically authenticating the customer. It is another related object, to provide an ITA which can successfully respond to a cryptographic challenge issued by one or more external systems, such as one or more authentication service providers or, one or more financial institutions. It is another related object that such communications are performed end-to-end between the ITA apparatus and external systems such that no other interim processing of the message is necessary or possible.
It is another primary object, to provide an ITA system and method for organizing and deploying a plurality of user-authenticating ITA devices administered and controlled by an ITA administration system and system administrator. It is a related object, to provide a system and method for deploying ITAs in conjunction with centrally-and/or remotely-administered hosts and/or merchant systems. It's a related object, to provide methods and systems for administering ITAs, for logging ITA transactions, for issuing cryptographic challenges to individual ITA apparatuses in response to customer-initiated transaction requests, for verifying responses to issued cryptographic requests, and for interfacing with application service providers and/or financial institutions to obtain additional transaction authentication, payment, and transaction processing details.
It's a related object to provide a wireless version of the ITA which is capable of securely communicating with merchant point-of-presence transactions processing machines and upstream external systems.
It is yet another primary object, to provide a mobile ITA apparatus having a USB port interface comprising a USB connector for interconnecting with standard USB interfaces (e.g., a PC-based USB port, a PDA-based USB port, a cellular phone or smartphone USB port, or other USB interface device).
It is another primary object of the present invention, to provide an ITA apparatus, methods, and systems which are capable of providing a “Card Present” equivalent level of assurance of legitimacy of an ITA transaction, to provide assurances equal to or better than an actual physical “Card Present”. NB: “Card Present” transactions are those where a physical card is presented in person by a customer directly at the point of sale, thereby justifying lower card transaction fees due to reduced risk.